What does the terms " sewing appliques " mean to you? Do you think of hand applique? Machine applique? The applique stitch? An example of raw-edge applique by Jane LaFazio. There are many types of applique, from the traditional by-hand techniques to the fused or raw-edge applique methods preferred...

A Note from Vivika: Our online editor, Cate Prato, has recently delved into traditional quilting techniques including adventures in binding. I asked her to share her experience with you . When it comes to quilt finishing , I've always resorted to an easy quilt binding like the pillowcase method....

My favorite work day is Tuesday, because that's when our office holds show-and-tell. Given the array of quilters, sewists, and mixed-media artists in our group (many of whom also knit, crochet, and make jewelry), you never know what to expect. Managing editor Rose deBoer (L) and Assistant editor...

Looking back over the last 12 months, I'd have to say that portraiture was a big trend in modern and creative quilting . From pixel quilts made of tiny fabric squares to mixed-media quilts that enhanced fabric with paint or colored pencil, quilt artists made a lot of faces. Judging by what I've...

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., a day when we gather with family and friends, stuff ourselves with traditional foods (or their vegetarian, gluten-free, low-sodium versions), and reflect on what we are thankful for. Some of us also watch football. Our entire Quilting Arts family feels especially...

I've used the walking foot attachment for years as a valuable tool to help me sew even stitches with slippery material and as a tool for machine quilting . The walking foot is designed to push all layers of the sewing project underneath the needle at the same time. That's a real help when there...

Where do you get your inspiration for art quilts ? Quilting artists get asked that question all the time. Most artists I know have keen powers of observation. They take in the patterns of bricks and grids in the city, the shapes and colors of the garden, and the unusual (to them) motifs and architecture...

Playing with your pre-programmed sewing machine stitches can be a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. The plethora of stitches on some machines could keep you busy for hours--but what about some of the utilitarian stitches we all know and love? I was able to complete this quilt quickly using a...

For a period of time, I made fabric and paper quilts using vintage maps. I stitched a collage of fabric to make the bird (and sometimes flowers, too), then stitched the bird (and flowers) onto the maps. Mixed-media stitched collage cards by Kristin Peterson, featured in the November/December 2014 issue...

A note from Vivika: Most art quilters I know dabble in other forms of art--from painting to jewelry making. Our marketing manager, Ashley Lauwereins, is a jewelry maker who is learning about fabric art . Today, she's taking over the blog to share her experiences with art that crosses over both worlds...

Thread sketching can add lots of texture and movement to your quilts. But as anyone who has tried it knows--if you don't stabilize your work, your fabric will draw up and pull out of shape. In her thread sketching tutorial series in Quilting Arts, Susan Brubaker Knapp has addressed this issue: Stabilizing...

Do you see everything around you? Really see it? If you follow Susan Brubaker Knapp on Facebook, as I do, you will be familiar with her almost daily photo posts she calls, "Beauty on my morning walk." The breathtaking images of bees' wings, flower petals, veined rocks, ice crystals and...

In my experience, quilters are a giving sort. Any occasion--celebratory, sorrowful, and everything in between--will prompt a quilter to head to the studio and make a quilt for someone else. It might be an art quilt to hang on the wall and bring a smile or a quilt you can cuddle in. Either way, quilts...